


In the Dark

by GypsyGirl79



Series: 13 and Yaz [10]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Doctor, Locked up, Whump, thasmin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 03:09:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17378462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GypsyGirl79/pseuds/GypsyGirl79
Summary: The Doctor and Yaz are captured and imprisoned by an alien race. Injured and cold, will Graham and Ryan rescue them in time?





	In the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> A little bit of my favorite trope (hurt/comfort). 
> 
> No beta. Apologies for errors.
> 
> Comments and constructive criticism welcome.

Prison cell, Unnamed dwarf planet in the Urzo system, 78th century:

The Doctor blinked her eyes against the darkness, straining to see something, anything. She couldn’t tell where she was, except that she was laying on a hard, cold floor. The air around her was musty and chilled her to the bone. She tried to sit up, but regretted it instantly. The Doctor was assaulted with pain from every inch of her body, though her right leg and head seemed to be the primary sources. She cried out, shattering the silence. ‘ _Don’t be sick. Don’t be sick._ ’ She tried to will her stomach to settle, but a wave of dizziness washed over her. She threw up on the floor in front of her before collapsing, unconscious, once again.

Yasmin Khan shivered into consciousness. Everything was cold and dark. She felt the panic rise in her chest as she desperately groped around for anything familiar. ‘ _Get a grip, PC Khan_ ,’ she told herself as she tried deep breathing exercises to quell her panic. As her heart rate and breathing returned to normal, she lay quietly for a moment. Breathing. She could hear breathing that wasn’t her own. The fog started to lift from her brain as she became more aware. Slowly, she started to remember:

*They had answered a distress call from a burnt out village, one of only two inhabited areas, on a tiny dwarf planet. Things had gone wrong almost immediately. The Doctor had been ahead of them, scanning with her Sonic, she had been close behind, and Ryan and Graham were barely out of the TARDIS doors when the ambush began. She remembered being tackled to the ground by a humanoid creature and the Doctor yelling for the guys to make a run for it. She saw the TARDIS vanish with a whoosh seconds before having a sack thrown over her head. The last thing she heard before blacking out were the Doctor’s anguished screams.*

 _‘Doctor. I’ve gotta find her.’_ Yaz tried to take stock of her surroundings. The stone floor was cold and damp, the air was much the same. There was no light at all in the room. She moved slowly, stiffly, as her muscles protested. The chill dampness had permeated everything and her bones ached. “Doctor,” she whispered loudly. She felt around as she crawled toward the breathing. “Doctor!”

Her hand bumped a cold metal object. Yaz quickly realized it was the Sonic. She held on to the shaft and the little end crystal glowed a warm yellow. It illuminated the space enough for her to see all four walls, a heavy metal door, and her Doctor. The woman was crumpled on the floor nearby. Yaz quickly crawled to her. “Doctor! Doctor, please wake up!” Yaz noticed a head wound, encrusted with dried blood. She rolled the blonde over on her back and she moaned loudly without waking up.

Immediately, she noticed the puddle of sick that her girlfriend had been laying in. She also noticed her right leg; the limb was obviously broken. Despite the Time Lord’s fast healing ability, she knew the injury had to be excruciating. Yaz sat on the floor and positioned the Doctor’s head in her lap. She lovingly stroked her bruised cheek and smoothed her bloodstained hair. “Wake up, love. I don’t know where we are and I’m scared. Please, wake up.” Yaz felt tears slip down her cheeks. The warm, salty droplets splashed on the alien woman’s face.

In the dim light, Yaz saw a familiar nose scrunch. Pained hazel eyes fluttered open and locked onto wet brown eyes. “Yaz?” Her voice was small and raspy, but sounded like a symphony to Yaz.

“Doctor, hi!” Yaz leaned over a kissed her forehead. 

“I’ve been sick,” the Doctor said, sounding like an embarrassed child.

“It’s okay, love. You’re hurt.” Yaz continued her comforting caresses, wiping some of the sick away with her sleeve.

“My leg...” The Gallifreyan winced, gritting her teeth.

“Be still, love. I know. Your head’s a mess, too.” Yaz laced her fingers with the blonde’s.

“Graham n’ Ryan?” She scanned their surroundings.

“Escaped in the TARDIS,” Yaz told her. The Doctor exhaled in relief and nodded almost imperceptibly. 

“They can come get us. The TARDIS should be able t’find us. Maybe. I hope.” She closed her eyes. “That light, that my Sonic?”

“Yeah, I found it. Sorry I’m using it as a torch. Can’t make sense of it.” 

“That’s my Yaz. My brilliant Yaz. Ya found it, that’s the important part.” She cracked a smile.

“Doctor, where are we?”

The Time Lord took a deep breath. “If I’m correct, which I usually am, we’re prisoners of the Lukons, one of two warring tribes on this forsaken rock. The village where we landed belonged to the Grukons. Doubt there’s many left, if any, from the looks of the village.” She paused a moment, her strength fading. “Both tribes are known in this system for their barbaric ruthlessness and warmongering. They were banished to this unnamed dwarf planet due to their constant state of war. We’re lucky t’be alive.”

Yaz felt her panic rising again, the Doctor’s explanation bringing her no comfort. “Do ya know what we’re in for? What they’re gonna do to us?”

“Don’t know for sure. We’d be dead already if that’s how they wanted us. I’m guessing they figured out who I am since I’m a bit worse for wear.” She winced again. “Probably gonna torture me a bit more.”

“Have ya encountered ‘em before?” Yaz looked worried. Half of the civilizations known to the Doctor loved her; the other half feared her. 

“In a past regeneration, centuries ago, I received a distress signal from Greffon, a planet torn apart by war; war caused by the Lukons and Grukons and their hatred for each other. I tried to reach a truce between ‘em. Didn’t work. Had no choice but t’send them off.” She sighed. “The Grefforians were elated. Saved millions of lives by banishing a few thousand. But the tribes never forgot, apparently.”

“If ya knew they’re so deadly, why’d we come?” Yaz was growing more and more distraught by the minute.

“The distress signal was Grefforian, not Lukonian or Grukonian. I didn’t know! M’sorry, Yaz...” The Doctor closed her eyes against the tears that threatened to spill.

Yaz sighed. “It’s okay, love. You were just trying t’help. Rest a bit. Ya need your strength.” The brunette brushed strands of bloody hair from her face.

“I’m scared, Yaz,” the Doctor admitted.

“Me, too, Doctor. But we’ve been in worse situations, right? Have faith. Don’t lose hope.” Yaz kissed her head again.

“Yasmin Khan, you always know what to say. I’m so sorry...” Tears spilled from her eyes.

“Shh, Doctor. Don’t cry, love.” The younger woman soothed the Time Lord. The Doctor drifted off into a restless sleep.

 

***  
The Doctor awoke with a start, the sudden movement jarring her broken leg. She screamed in agony.

“Shh, love. Doctor, quiet, ya can’t let ‘em hear ya!” Yaz tried to comfort the alien.

“Have... have ya heard ‘em?” The Doctor tried to look around, but the room was dark once more.

“I heard footfalls beyond the door, but not for a bit.” Yaz could feel the Doctor shivering in her arms. 

“So c-cold, Yaz.”

“I know. I’m afraid t’ move ya any closer. You’re in so much pain.” Yaz stroked her cheek.

“Sh-shivering hurts my leg. P-please, Yaz. I’ll try n-not to yell,” the Doctor pleaded.

“I’ll be quick.” Yaz gathered the Doctor in her arms and, in a single heave, she pulled the alien into her lap.

The Doctor bit her lip, drawing blood, but managed to remain quiet, save for a moan. Unfortunately, the sudden transition from horizontal to near-vertical caused her head to spin and her stomach to lurch. She threw up again, this time on her fuchsia shirt. “Sorry, Yaz,” she whispered, shame evident in her voice.

“S’okay, love.” Yaz illuminated the Sonic again to inspect the damage. “Just a little bit of sick. Don’t be upset.” She comforted the Doctor until the older woman relaxed a bit.

“Let me see my Sonic, please.” Yaz handed her the tool. She scanned the room. “Foot-thick walls. Could open the door, but can’t walk. TARDIS is nearby, but so is a group with Grefforian-Lukonian DNA. Hopefully Ryan n’ Graham have a plan to get us outta here. Ya know, before the Lukons come back. Or we starve to death.” She grimaced at the bitter taste in her mouth. “Still a bit scared.”

“Can ya call the TARDIS? She’s come to our rescue before,” Yaz sounded hopeful.

“I can get her close. She knows where we are, telepathic connection and all. But with no one flying her, she’s not as accurate.” She snuggled into the younger woman’s chest a bit. “Really need to teach the blokes how t’drive her.” Her Sonic buzzed. “Won’t be much longer. Either the Lukons return or we get rescued. My money’s on rescue.” She shivered again. “Still cold, Yaz. I just want a cuppa, n’ a hot bath, n’ some cuddles.”

“I can help with the cuddles, now. C’mere, Doctor.” The brunette held her Doctor close, ignoring the sticky vomit on her shirt. 

***  
A sharp knock at the metal door startled the women. The Doctor pointed her Sonic at the door. “It’s Graham’s DNA signature!” The Sonic buzzed and the lock on the door unlatched.

The men found Yaz and the injured Doctor huddled on the cold floor for warmth. The women shielded their eyes from the sudden bright light. 

“Yaz! Doc! We gotta get out! Those things are closing in!” Graham sounded a bit panicked.

“Her leg’s broken, she can’t walk,” Yaz told them.

“I’ve gotcha, Doctor,” Ryan said. He quickly, but gently, helped her up, taking nearly all of her weight. She clenched her teeth and inhaled sharply.

“Oi, that hurts!” The Doctor blinked back tears. “Gold star for Ryan. Such a strong lad.” 

Graham extended a hand, pulling Yaz to her feet. Her muscles were stiff from the cold, damp environment and the Doctor sitting on her lap. She limped alongside the older man toward the TARDIS and freedom.

Just a few feet from the TARDIS door, the team heard shouting. “They found us!” Graham pointed down a hallway to a gang of approaching heavily-armored warriors.

A nearby explosion knocked the four mates to the ground. The Doctor howled in pain as her broken body hit the floor. The others, stunned, but otherwise unhurt, scrambled to their feet. Graham and Ryan lifted the Time Lord and dragged her into the TARDIS. Yaz snatched the Sonic from the floor and dove into the blue box mere seconds before a more accurately-thrown grenade exploded, rocking the ship. The TARDIS wheezed as she vanished from the dwarf planet for good.

***  
Hours later, Team TARDIS was gathered in the Doctor and Yaz’s room. After a trip to the infirmary to set her broken bones and tend to her head wound, Yaz treated her to a hot bath to remove the blood, sick, and grime from their ordeal. The Doctor was now warm and clean in bed. Her right leg was encased, toe to knee, in a rainbow-colored plaster cast and her head was bandaged. The head wound would be healed in a day and the dizziness gone in two, she assured them. Her leg was another story. Even with her regenerative powers, the break would take a week to properly heal.

Yaz sat in bed with her girlfriend, holding her close. Ryan and Graham had brought them tea and custard creams. “Thought we’d lost ya,” Graham admitted.

“TARDIS was making a fuss,” Ryan said, and the machine huffed. “But I think she was more worried about Yaz,” he joked. The TARDIS made a noise that resembled laughter.

“Haha, you’re so funny. Regular comedians, you lot,” the Doctor pouted. A gentle tap on her shoulder and grin from the young man brought a smile to her face.

“We knew we only had one chance to get ya out. Didn’t know if we’d get the prison door opened. Honestly, all we could do was hope you had your Sonic.” Graham’s face still bore the stresses of nearly losing two of his friends. Again.

“I knew you’d figure it out. Never doubted,” the Doctor boasted. Yaz cleared her throat. “Well, I didn’t doubt for long,” she corrected.

“What’ll happen to the Lukons? They’ve no one left to fight,” Yaz wondered aloud.

“They’ll either learn the error of their ways and live in peace, acquire the technology t’leave their planet and find another enemy, or they’ll die out. The choice is theirs. I hope they make the right one, but I’m sure they won’t.” The Doctor frowned. Yaz kissed her cheek, knowing the Doctor was mourning the doomed tribe.

Graham broke the silence. “C’mon Ryan. Let’s leave them be. You two need your rest. Ya look knackered.”

“Need anything, give us a ring.” Ryan waggled his phone. 

Yaz smiled at them. “Thanks, mates.”

“Thanks, fam,” the Doctor said, her eyes already drifting closed.

The men left and Yaz held her girlfriend close. “M’sorry, Yaz,” the Gallifreyan whispered.

“Stop apologizing, Doctor. We’re safe. That’s all that matters.” She kissed her lover’s lips, cheeks, and forehead. “Sleep, now. You need your rest. I love you, Doctor.”

“Love my Yaz. My brave n’ beautiful Yasmin Khan,” the Doctor fell asleep in her arms.

The TARDIS dimmed the lights and lit the fireplace. She wouldn’t let her favorite human and her favorite thief be in the cold and dark tonight.


End file.
